6 Ways to Majorly Upgrade Your Afternoon Snack Break

Unexpected pairings are kind of our jam. Salty and sweet, dark and mysterious, painterly and patterned — these combos are some of our favorites. And the snack department is no exception. I don’t know about you, but right around 3pm I definitely need a pick-me-up — and a glass of water and bag of chips just doesn’t do the job. That’s why we were thrilled to pair up (pun very much intended) with Curate to create a collection of six bar and beverage pairings that will seriously upgrade your next afternoon snack break.

Before we get to these yummy combos, a little more about our partner, Curate: This new snack brand takes a unique approach to the art of a delicious, healthy and filling bar. They curate wholesome ingredients, like orange zest, balsamic vinegar, quinoa and chia seeds, and combine them every way under the sun until they find the best and tastiest combo. But it’s not just about flavors here — Curate bars are non-GMO and gluten-free, they have no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors and each bar has less than 200 calories. For real. Pick up your own box of bars in person at Kroger or Target.

We love that you can actually see the ingredients that go into each bar, and that they’re not gummy or tough to chew. They *really* taste homemade. As soon as we got our hands on a few of these bars, we were immediately inspired to create six unexpectedly delicious drink pairings to go with each flavor.

Follow along to check out each recipe!

BASIL COCONUT SMOOTHIE + IRRESISTIBLE DARK CHOCOLATE BAR

Ready to transport yourself to a beachy locale? Us too. Inspired by the combo of dark chocolate, pistachios and strawberries, we created an herbaceous smoothie designed to pair perfectly with the Irresistible Dark Chocolate bar.

Ingredients:— 3 cups pineapple chunks

— 1 cup basil leaves

— 1 cup spinach leaves

— 1 Tablespoons hemp seeds

— 1 can coconut milk

— 2 Tablespoons lime juice

— coconut flakes for garnish

Instructions:1. Place all the ingredients (except coconut flakes) into a blender, then blend until combined.

MINT ICED COFFEE + INDULGENT BAR

Need a real pick-me-up? Then a little jolt of caffeine is just what the doctor ordered. The Indulgent bar has a rich combo of dark chocolate, vanilla, almonds and hazelnuts. Yum.

Ingredients:

— coffee

— 1 cup sugar

— 1 cup water

— 1 bunch fresh mint

— half + half

— ice

Instructions:

1. Make mint simple syrup by adding together 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 1 bunch of mint leaves in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then strain out the mint and let cool.

2. Add coffee to a glass of ice, then add half + half to taste. Add about a Tablespoon of mint simple syrup.

3. Garnish with mint leaves and enjoy!

Start by whipping up a batch of mint simple syrup. Combine one cup sugar, one cup water and one bunch of mint leaves in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat for five minutes, then strain out the mint and let cool.

Add coffee to a glass of ice, then add half + half to taste. Add about a Tablespoon of mint simple syrup.

Add a sprig of mint leaves for the finishing touch.

Enjoy!

ALMOND MILK HORCHATA + HARMONIOUS BLEND BAR

This combo’s all about those grains. The fruity flavors of apricot and lemon complement a glass of dessert-like horchata beautifully. The Harmonious Blend bar also features Marcona almonds and quinoa, giving it a robust flavor that satisfies even the hungriest of moments.

Ingredients:— 1 cup white rice

— 4 cups water

— 2 cinnamon sticks

— 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

— 1 cup almond milk

— ⅓ cup brown sugar

— 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

— ice

Instructions:1. Wash and drain the rice, then combine with cinnamon sticks in water. Let soak overnight in the fridge.

2. Discard the cinnamon sticks and add rice and water into a blender. Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and blend on low for 5 minutes until combined.

3. Pour the blended rice mixture through a fine mesh sieve. If there are still rice bits present, pour the mixture through a cheesecloth or coffee filter.

When you’re ready to serve, pour over a glass of ice, add cinnamon and voila. C’est magnifique!

This one doubles as dessert ;)

ORANGE ICED TEA + DARK & TEMPTING BAR

This decadent combo evokes the flavors of fall with a refreshing combo of Mission figs and citrus. In addition to Mission figs, the Dark & Tempting bar is made up of balsamic vinegar, hazelnuts and orange zest.

Ingredients— ½ gallon water

— 2 cold brew tea bags

— 1 cup sugar

— ½ orange

— ½ lemon

— 2 Tablespoon honey

— orange + lemon slices for garnish

— ice

Instructions1. Combine the juice of half an orange and half a lemon.

2. Add the juice mixture, honey and sugar to the half gallon of water and stir.

3. Add the cold brew tea bags and let steep for 3 minutes.

4. Remove the tea bags and pour over ice.

Start by squeezing the juice of half an orange and half a lemon. Combine.

Add the juice mixture, honey and sugar to the half gallon of water and stir.

Add cold brew tea bags and let steep for three minutes.

Don’t you love that ombre vibe in the pitcher? So citrusy!

Delightful.

MATCHA GREEN TEA COCONUT MILK LATTE + SWEET & TART BAR

This is easily the most colorful drink and snack combo we’ve ever seen. The Sweet & Tart bar includes berries, almonds, chia seeds, quinoa and flax seeds, and it packs a serious punch.

Ingredients:— 1 teaspoon matcha

— ¼ cup hot water

— ¼ cup coconut milk, warmed

— 1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions:1. Sift the matcha powder to get rid of lumps.

2. Add the sifted matcha, 1 Tablespoon honey and ¼ cup hot water to the warm coconut milk and whisk until fully combined.

3. Pour into a mug and serve!

Start out by sifting the matcha powder to get rid of lumps. Add the sifted matcha, one Tablespoon honey and ¼ cup hot water to the warm coconut milk and whisk until fully combined.

Pour into a mug and serve!

Done and done.

No more hangry afternoons! :)

Making any of these recipes? If so, we want to see the results! Share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #iamcreative and #TasteCurate so we can take a look.